Fertilizer application rule protects farmers, water quality

January 3, 2013

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - A new set of fertilizer application
regulations from the Office of the Indiana State Chemist helps ensure proper
nutrient management and protects farmers and the environment, a Purdue
Extension beef specialist says.

The rule, which goes into effect Feb. 16, includes staging
and application restrictions for both inorganic, or commercial, fertilizers and
manure. It applies to anyone who uses fertilizer for the purpose of producing
an agricultural crop, with the exception of those who apply less than 10 cubic
yards in a year.

While large permitted livestock operations that perform
liquid nutrient applications already fall under the Indiana Department of
Environmental Management's
Confined Feeding Operation laws, the new Office of the Indiana State Chemist
(OISC) rule extends to smaller producers who would mostly apply solid manure,
Ron Lemenager said.

"This is really a common-sense approach to nutrient
management and preserving the environment," he said. "Most of our
livestock producers already are doing these things, so the rule shouldn't be a significant burden."

The new rule requires both inorganic fertilizers and
manure to be staged at least 300 feet away from surface water, water wells and
drainage inlets. Neither can be staged in a waterway, floodway or standing
water. Manure must also be staged at least 100 feet from property lines and
public roads, and 400 feet from residential buildings.

Inorganic fertilizers cannot be applied directly to water,
from a public road or to saturated ground.

Manure application comes with setback restrictions that
depend on manure type and application method. For example, solid manure applied
via single-pass incorporation would have to be applied 500 feet from public
water supplies, 25 feet from surface waters, 25 feet from sinkholes, 50 feet
from water wells and 5 feet from drainage inlets.

Another important component of the rule, according to
Lemenager, is record-keeping.

"It's
in the best interest of the farmers to keep records in case some sort of
dispute arises - whether it's
legal or neighbor relations," he said. "Records also offer some
protection if you apply or stage manure, then an act of God causes something to
leach into the water."

Record keeping can be as simple as recording whether
setbacks were followed, where and how much manure was applied, the number of
acres covered and whether a soil test was completed recently to adjust any
commercial fertilizer applications.

Lemenager and his colleagues created a quick reference and
record-keeping sheet, which is available for free download at
http://www.thebeefcenter.com